Big Drama in South Florida (and a little drama too)

Not since Tony Montana prowled the streets has there been this much drama in South Florida. What’s with all the drama? As in much with life, it all begins with Mom. Riveting Drama is an unraced, 16 year-old Florida broodmare, and without setting foot on the Calder grounds, she became the star of their Summit of Speed on July 10. The daughter of prolific Sunshine State sire, Notebook, has produced seven horses of racing age and all of them are winners. She had produced a stakes winning, and a stakes placed filly previously, but it is her two current colts who really have people talking. Her juvenile son, Little Drama was a romping winner in the Frank Gomez Memorial Stakes, and on the same card, her four-year-old son, Big Drama, returned to the top form that he displayed last Summer. Riveting Drama was barren the year between her two boys, so they are her only runners on the track right now, but she does have two young full sisters to Little Drama to watch out for in the future. Big brother Big Drama used a sharp middle move to take over the Smile Stakes on the turn. Opening up a big lead in the stretch, the winner of over $1.4 million easily held off the late charge of Mambo Meister to win by 1 ½ lengths. It was the eighth win in only 13 starts for the son of Montbrook, including seven stakes wins. Big Drama was classy enough to hang around for 5th in last Spring’s Preakness, but this year his races are likely to be confined to sprints. It is sprinting where Big Drama has the best chance to become a champion for owner and breeder Harold L. Queen, and as was evident in the Smile, he has the talent to be a real threat in this year’s Breeders’ Cup. It was his second stakes wins in two races this year, and he is now likely to hit the road and be tested in some of the big sprints in the Northeast in preparation for the BC Sprint. Not to be outdone by his older sibling, Little Drama announced his potential as a future star with a 9 ½ length dismantling of his juvenile foes in the Gomez. After clipping heels in a 2nd place finish in his only previous start, the David Fawkes trained, and Elbar Coa ridden youngster ran away from his competition in breaking his maiden in the 5 ½ furlong stakes. Queen and Fawkes will now point their new talent for the Florida Stallion series in an attempt to pull of the same sweep they engineered with Big Drama. If Little Drama can pull off the feat it would come as no surprise to his connections. Coa calls the colt’s potential unlimited, while Queen feels that the juvenile is even better than his older brother was at the same time two years ago. High praise indeed. As we watch the developments of these two talented Dramas in the coming months, let’s never forget the girl that got them there. Riveting Drama is one heckuva Mom!